Well, I’m still in a cast. And, generally, that means I’m still avoiding the kitchen.

But, I can only feed my kid hummus and carrot sticks for just so long before he revolts and says, “would you please cook something?”

[Side note: he can now cook his own scrambled eggs, pancakes, and grilled cheese with tomato soup. And, there’s been a lot of raw spinach-eating. Hey, it’s a vegetable.]

So, tonight he asked for spaetzle mac, and I obliged.

What, you might ask, is spaetzle mac? Well, it’s a weird combination of spaetzle and mac and cheese. Only it’s grain-free and dairy-free. And, yes, yes, I know that the spaetzle actually replaces the mac part of mac and cheese. So, it should rightfully be called “spaetzle cheeze” or something.

But, the kiddo called it “spaetzle mac” and that’s what it henceforth shall be.

I’ve only made this with an actual spaetzle maker. One of these things:

Loaded Spaetzle Maker

But, I hear tell you can use a large-hole colander, too.

Spaetzle Mac

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Mix everything together except the water. Gradually add in the water until you have a thick dough. You may only need 1 tablespoon, depending on how humid it is and how moist your almond flour is.

When the water is at a full rolling boil, load your spaetzle maker and “grate” the dough into the water. (If using a colander, you push the dough through and then slide a knife on the outside of the colander to cut off bits of dough.)

Boil until all the pieces are fluffy and floating – about 5 minutes.

Optional: I usually throw a couple of handfuls of cut up broccoli florets right in the boiling water with the dough. When the broccoli is tender, the spaetzle is done.

Drain. If using right away, you don’t have to rinse. If storing, rinse with cold water.

When ready to eat, toss spaetzle and broccoli with cheezy sauce and gently heat.

Cheezy Sauce

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. (Note, I usually have this ready to go so that as soon as the spaetzle is drained, I can mix it with the spaetzle and broccoli in the same pot I cooked the spaetzle in and serve right away.)

The end result is not gorgeous.

Grain-free Spaetzle with Vegan Cheeze Sauce

But, it’s the kiddo’s new favorite comfort food.

The recipe is really forgiving. I usually eyeball all the sauce ingredients. And, sometimes I add other spices or flavorings. And, I’ve used various proportions of almond flour to tapioca starch, too. So, no stress on this recipe, okay? Give it a whirl!

You can easily halve the recipe. I’ve done that plenty of times. And, you can use whatever sauce you like. I think in Germany, sometimes they just fry the spaetzle in butter. I bet the kiddo would like it fried in bacon grease. 😉

I actually have a packet of spaetzle which has definitely been in my cupboard for YEARS! I think I brought it back from France after having some cheesy spaetzle dish when up in the mountains. I’ve been vegan for over 3 years so that just says how old the package must be… Your recipe has given me a reason to dig out the package though 🙂

Most likely, the spaetzle itself has eggs in it. So, you still might not want to eat it. I haven’t tried this recipe with any egg substitutes. I think it could work with a chia egg, maybe. I’m not sure. It’d be fun to try with a half batch.

well, I’m vegan, so don’t eat egg, but I’m intrigued so will have a play with something else this evening, with some fresh greens from the garden instead of broccoli, cos I don’t have any left out there! Never heard of the stuff, but I’m glad I read your post:)

Made my own version for dinner and ate the whole lot!!!! I put a dollop of hummous on top instead of making a cheesy sauce. I’m not clever enough to create links and things in blogs, but i’ll mention your site by name, and maybe you’ll get the odd visitor come across to see the real deal:)

Yes, I think turmeric or achiote could both add some color and make it look more like traditional mac and cheese. But, in my house, we don’t really care if it’s boring looking as long as it tastes good. 🙂 (I’ve got an easy kid that way.)